The Deflation Of Mahinda Rajapaksa

By Kumar David –February 21, 2016

Prof. Kumar David

Mahinda Rajapaksa’s (MR) political clout and much acclaimed image have been dented in the last six weeks. The erosion started with the defeat of the party that he (not Sirisena) led in the August 2015 elections but accelerated in 2016. We need to explore this from many angles as the implications are far reaching. MR’s image did not suffer irreparably when he lost in January 2015 as witnessed by the faithful who trekked in their thousands to Carlton Lodge to venerate and commiserate with an inexplicably exiled king of kings; devotees kept the faith alive.

The second defeat took its toll and sullied the image; but from August to December the hubris of the Rajapaksa family and the arrogance of old regime cronies remained intact. President and Prime Minister did not confront the criminals; the government stayed irresolute. Why we can only speculate; perhaps it feared the residual power of the old regime could provoke instability; perhaps Sirisena was alarmed that if the scum was prosecuted the fracas within the SLFP would dent his hold; perhaps both President and PM (like SWRD and Dudley) had loose bowels thinking about a Sinhala-Buddhist backlash. ‘Bring back Mahinda’ rallies arranged by a ructious quartet of blind mice (quintet if you count Dayan) drew crowds. The August election was hard to predict and keenly contested.

In hindsight the capacity of chauvinists to whip up mobs was overestimated and the residual influence of the Rajapaksa rump-mafia exaggerated. The first hint was when PM and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweerastuck out their necks and negotiated a compromise at the UNHRC in Geneva. If MR with chauvinists at full blast and yellow robbed masquerades in tow had the ability, this was the opportunity to light the fires. Not a pipsqueak! While they ranted on stage no one dared confrontation on the streets. If one can mobilise fifty thousand there is no need to fear a belt or a baton across the rump. Mobilisations that big can’t be dispersed; the authorities have to compromise. The bigots could incite no more than a few hundred unruly elements; humiliated they stayed at home.Read More